


Returned to its own delight

by forthegenuine



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forthegenuine/pseuds/forthegenuine
Summary: A collection of one-shots from theShades of Magicuniverse.Chapter 1. Kell wakes in unfamiliar surroundings.Chapter 2. Isra dispenses advice.Chapter 3. According to VE Schwab, Lila's birthday is 23 October.
Relationships: Delilah Bard/Kell Maresh
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	1. Little thief

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greenmaskedmarauder94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenmaskedmarauder94/gifts).



> This is dedicated to @greenmaskedmarauder for being a Kellila (KellxLila) enabler. It is not beta'd, so all mistakes are completely mine.
> 
> Title is from William Blake's "Auguries of Innocence," and taken totally out of context, but hey, it's a William Blake poem.

Every now and then, in the early hours of the morning, before he fully wakes, Kell is suspended in a moment of confusion about where it is he has woken up. The midnight sky blue of his royal bedchambers’ ceiling is replaced by wooden panels of dark oak. Light streams from the window that is on the wrong side of the room. But when he turns his head, and sees the dark-haired figure lying beside him, clad in one of his old tunics—well, it’s mostly hers now—he remembers exactly where he is.

⁂

Three years after leaving Red London, Kell wakes in a similar fashion. Except the space she normally occupies next to him is empty. He scans the cabin they share, though it is small enough for him to know he is alone in one glance. He rises, taking his coat with him, and follows the invisible trail of her magic that always leads him to her.

He finds her on the starboard side of the ship, leaning precipitously over the rail. “Lila?” he calls cautiously.

She stills for a moment and turns around slowly. She places a hand on the rail as if to steady herself, while the other hand rests gently on her stomach.

The pallor on her face is not new. She and Kell took ill a few days ago, after an offering of bad seafood that did not sit well with either of them. The crew of the _Night Spire_ mercifully supplied their captain and Master Kell with buckets and left them mostly to their recovery. Kell has since improved, but watching Lila wipe her mouth with the back of her hand, he feels alarm grow in his chest.

He draws her in his arms, wrapping his coat around her. The fact that she allows him this display outside of their living quarters causes his alarm to swell to worry. “We should ask the crew to fetch you a healer,” he suggests.

She shakes her head. “I know what’s wrong with me,” she says, her expression unreadable.

“What is it?” His question is accompanied by a crease in his brow.

A sudden but subtle quirk of a corner of her lips. “I’m…” she pauses, and it is his heart’s turn to still for a moment, before she continues, “… with child.”

“What?” he breathes, more than asks. He feels his face go slack and thinks he has misheard her, but there is no mistaking what she has just said, holding her so closely. All his other questions— _How? When? Who? How?_ —dissolve into the morning breeze because he already knows the answers to them. He is left with only one thought, which he blurts out loud, “You’re incredible.”

Lila lets out a sound that is half a laugh and half a sob, though no tears arrive. She presses her cheek against the hand he has brought to cup her face. She looks up at him and the small joy in her eyes fades suddenly. “I don’t know the first thing about being a mother,” she confesses sorrowfully.

“Nor I, of being a father.” He bends his head slightly to rest his forehead against hers. “But we’ll learn together,” he vows.

She covers his hand with hers, and he feels her nod her head. “I think it’s time to go back home,” she declares. “To London.”

“Yes, Captain.” He leans in to kiss her, and he feels her smile against his lips, before deepening it. She lets him lead her back to their cabin.

Neither of them notice Kell’s woollen grey coat turn a long-absent, but familiar shade of royal red.

⁂

When Kell wakes this time, he first registers the ceiling made of oak, then the light from the window, and finally, the shape of Lila sleeping next to him. He remembers where he is, and he lets in the memory of the only piece of advice from Alucard Emery he has ever heeded, one given as he pressed an object into Kell’s hand a little more than two years ago. He has long since come to terms with it, and added it to the short and—for the sake of his own pride—finite list of things he can never thank Alucard for; among them are returning Lila Bard to him during the _Essen Tasch_ , saving their lives in Tanek, and loving his brother the way he deserves to be loved. He recalls the weight of Alucard’s hand on his shoulder as he presented him with a heavy bronze key, bearing the House of Emery’s sigil, dulled by patina and time. “Since you won’t raise your child here in the palace, perhaps you could raise her in a house that would see love inside its walls again.”

Kell places a hand gently on Lila’s swollen belly, careful not to wake her, and he feels the reassuring thrum of the yet formless magic and life from within. A smile spreads over his face, thinking of how he and Lila have made good on Alucard’s counsel.

He lifts his eyes at a soft sound coming from the other side of the bedroom doors. He rises, taking his dressing gown with him, as he slips out the chamber and closes the door behind him.

A pair of eyes look up at him, one blue and one black.

Kell raises a finger to his lips, and the little girl with copper curls imitates her father in amusement. “Mama’s still sleeping,” he tells her quietly, picking her up in his arms. “But let’s go see if there are any sweet buns for breakfast, shall we?” He breathes her in deeply, her childish scent mingles with something else. “Or have you already been to the kitchens, _mas tes gast_?” My little thief.

She laughs at the term of endearment, her eyes twinkling even in the early light, and Kell marvels at the way he lets thieves steal his heart, when he simply would have been glad to hand it over, and over again.

**_end_ **


	2. Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is @greenmaskedmarauder's fault for asking whose idea it would be for Kellila to have a second child. And, as such, is also dedicated to her.

Lila finds them in the orchard, and she resists the urge to descend the steps and join them. She decides to simply take in the sight of Kell with the little girl—they make such a handsome pair, the two of them laughing, with their auburn hair glowing like a muted version of the Isle. She watches them play, while a smile plays on her own lips at their little private game that does not appear to have any discernible rules.

She doesn’t hear Isra approach until the captain of the king’s guard is already standing next to her. If it is anyone else who has caught her unawares, Lila suspects she might have blushed. For the moment, they observe the other two in silence. 

It is Isra who speaks and breaks it. Her tone is fond and drips of wistfulness, something Lila has never heard from her before. “The palace has not seen this much joy since the two of them were children.”

Lila drags her eyes to Isra. It only takes her half a second to realize whom the other woman is speaking of, and another half a second for her curiosity to overtake her. “What were they like as children?”

“They were at their happiest when they were with each other,” she replies, a small smile creeping on her own lips. “And got themselves into quite a bit of trouble together, too.”

Lila laughs, sweeping her eyes back to the orchard below them. “I can imagine.” She studies the two figures for another few moments, while a small tug pulls at her chest. She dismisses it and focuses on feeling grateful for a world that is so full of magic and love and little games. It is not long before it becomes too much to bear and she is unable to fight her impulse to be with them any longer. She nods, taking her leave from Isra, as she calls out to Kell, who waves at her. 

He points at Lila, directing his daughter’s gaze at her. “Look who’s here!” he exclaims. 

She scoops her daughter up in her arms, after she comes barreling into them with unsteady legs. “And what sort of trouble has your father gotten you into today?” she asks her, wiping a stray dusting of what looks like powdered sugar from the child’s cheek with her thumb.

“Oh, nothing stranger than the usual,” Kell placates, planting a kiss on Lila’s lips. He drapes an arm over her shoulder and begins to lead the three of them out of the palace gardens. “Let’s go home.” 

If Lila is particularly pensive the rest of the evening, Kell says nothing about it. A flash of concern furrows his brows only when he catches her looking into their daughter’s rooms after they have put her to bed. 

When the two of them meet under the covers in the dark of their own chamber, Lila deepens the kiss that Kell begins. He responds eagerly, but before he goes any further, she stops him, a flattened palm on his bare chest. He looks like he is bracing himself for bad news, but Lila puts him out of his misery and gives voice to the desire that has taken shape in her heart. “Let’s have another one.”

No fewer than six emotions flit across his face, as his mind struggles to catch up. “You-you want us to have another baby?” he confirms slowly, almost unbelievingly. 

“Yes. I want her to have what you and Rhy have.” She adds quickly, “Only if you want to.”

He clasps her hand that is already as near to his heart as it can be, and the smile on his face is enough to answer for him. 

**_end_ **


	3. Remembered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends! If you know me, I love celebrating fictional characters' birthdays. Just look at my works for other fandoms lol. According to VE Schwab, Lila Bard's birthday is today, 23 October. I combined that fact with a quasi-prompt from [greenmaskedmarauder94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenmaskedmarauder94), of Lila being jealous, and here's the result. It is un-beta'd so all mistakes are solely mine.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Lila always thought she would be the one to leave. She’d left him before, walked away from him as he stared after her growing shadow until she vanished into the night. But then again, she also came back four months later. She doesn’t count the number of times, however, her mind returned to him during those hundred or so days they spent apart. And the fact that those times number in the realm of being countless doesn’t factor in either.

But things are different now, of course. He nearly died for her, she for him. And that was even before she knew what his laugh sounds like—a real laugh that makes him throw his head back and his whole body shake. Or the freedom to run her fingers through his hair just because she feels like it. Or the shade of blue his eye turns when they are alone together in the dark. Or how he seems to be able to summon her blood to quicken without the aid of magic. 

The truth is: she would never leave. Not for the most prized treasure from any of the worlds. Not for the promise of more power or magic. And the words, which never crossed her mind before, rings in her head whenever her imaginings drift on thoughts of her future with Kell— _til death parts them_. 

Which is why, to her great dismay, she realizes he has been acting strange of late. Secretive. She sees Kell writing missives, which isn’t uncommon—he writes to his brother every chance he gets. But she notices the envelopes do not bear the royal Maresh seal as they normally do, and they furtively pass his hands and slide into his coat pocket, never to be seen again. 

That isn’t enough to rouse her suspicions, if not for something else. The last two ports on the Blood Coast they docked in saw him disappear for hours at a time, with no explanation, no excuse, for why he couldn’t go exploring the new city with her. And then he would return, a bit more sullen than he’d left, as if he is disappointed to be back on their ship. With her, her mind supplies with heavy dread. 

Half of her is too proud to ask him where he had been going. The other half is too afraid she wouldn’t like his answer if she did. Lila tries to shake it off, for it could just be her instinctive paranoia combined with an overactive imagination. But the feeling stays with her through the third city as their ship pulls into the harbor, and she says nothing as she watches him leave her again. 

In her indignation, she explores this port city on her own. She is Lila Bard, captain of the _Night Spire_ , scourge of the Arnesian Sea, she asserts. She personally oversees the replenishing of the ship’s supplies. It provides an ample distraction. So do the market square and the busy tavern, where she is invited for drinks with her crew. 

But she is unable to bring herself to her visit the city’s crowning jewel, Arnes’s oldest library. At the entrance of the grand building, she feels her fingers ache to grasp his hand like a missing limb, and her mind begins to envision other possibilities as to why he isn’t there with her. She curses her treacherous body and sulks all the way back to the ship. 

Less than an hour later, just a little after sunset, he bursts into their cabin, his coat wrapped around him, though it is not nearly cold enough to be bundled up so. He yelps in surprise to find her sitting on their bed, the room lit only by candlelight. 

He opens his mouth, but before he is able to say anything, she interrupts him brusquely, “Are you leaving?”

The space between his brows crinkles in that way that she has grown dearly fond of. She almost dislikes him for it. “I’ve only just returned,” he answers plainly. 

“No, I meant… are you leaving me?” she asks again, but the words feel like cotton in her mouth.

“What? No, I’m not leaving. Have you gone mad?” 

Lila notices Kell’s brows are completely knitted together in the center, but she is too busy reeling in confusion to point it out. “So you’ve not been running off to meet a secret lover?” And then she adds, as if it is a greater offense, “Or gotten bored of me?”

“No, Lila,” he gives a half-suppressed laugh, relief washing over his face. “I’ve not been meeting a secret lover behind your back.” He takes a step toward her. “And no one who’s met you could ever claim to be bored.” Another step. “Terrified, likely.” And another, until he is standing in front of her. “Enchanted, perhaps. But never bored.” He sits down next to her on their bed, and glances at her sideways. “You think I’ve been running off to see a lover at all these ports?”

It sounds rather silly when he puts it that way. Lila’s worry, sadness, and anger have all but ebbed away. Yet there is still the mystery of his behavior. “But why have y—“

It is his turn to interrupt her. “I’ve been running off to find something for you.”

“For me?” she repeats in disbelief.

He nods, the excitement evident in his voice, before he reveals, “I found something that I couldn’t believe was here, in this part of Arnes.” He unbuttons his woollen grey coat to reveal a parcel, bound in brown paper and twine. “Here.”

She cannot find the words to speak. 

“Open it,” he urges gently. “I was going to give it to you tomorrow anyway.” He hands it to her with the charm of someone who is not accustomed to giving presents. 

She accepts it with the grace of someone who is not familiar with receiving them. There is an unexpected struggle with the length of twine—one that is remedied by the use of Kell’s knife—followed by the crinkle of paper as it is peeled away. Lila sucks in a breath and raises her eyes to meet Kell’s. “How…?”

“It’s changed hands a few times so I’ve been writing to find out where it is. I realize now, I should have planned the search a bit better but I wanted it to be a surprise,” he explains hopefully. “And not disappoint you, in case I couldn’t find it.” 

After this, she thinks, he could never disappoint her but the words remain in her throat. The book, bound in leather, feels substantial in her grasp. It is a number of years old, its age evident on the scuffed spine and yellowing pages, but it is still in good condition. She touches the cover, fingers lightly tracing the poet’s name inlaid with faded gold foil. William Blake. She can almost hear her mother’s voice, memories of the few happy times from her old life—“ _Tyger Tyger, burning bright_ …” Now she holds a bridge between the two halves of her lives in her hands. 

His greeting, another surprise, brings her back to their cabin. “Happy birthday, Lila.”

She glances up at him again, a slow smile dawning on her face. “You remembered.”

“Of course I did.”

She feels her vision blur and she discovers also that she cannot find her voice.

Kell changes the subject, for which she is, again, wholly unprepared. “And, next week will be a year since a Grey London thief, dressed like a chap, stole a piece of forbidden black magic from me, and changed my life.” 

A whole year. How could she have forgotten? Her face drops slightly. “I didn’t get you anything,” she says dumbly.

“On the contrary, darling,” he consoles, as he lifts her chin with the side of an index finger. “You’ve given me everything I could ever want.” There is a bit of levity in his eyes, yet there is also a glimpse of that princeliness he still carries with him, even after seven months at sea with her.

Smiling, comforted, she rolls her eyes at him. She reaches under their bed to place the book inside a wooden box, adding to her short supply of prized possessions, if only so he doesn’t see her blush. 

“Come on,” he says, already on his feet. “Fetch your coat.”

“Where are we going?” 

“Arnes’s oldest library. I heard it isn’t to be missed.”

“But it closes after sundown,” she counters, even as she rises from the bed and reaches for her coat. 

“I’m sure between the captain of the _Night Spire_ and the king’s only brother, we can convince them to let us in.”

“Kell. Wait.”

“What?” he pauses just as he is about to open the door.

Lila closes the distance between them in two swift steps. She takes Kell’s head in her hands, pulls him toward her, and kisses him so deeply that she secretly hopes Rhy can feel it back in Red London. When she releases him, she is out of breath and his hair is mussed. 

“Thank you for the book,” she says finally, though her gratitude is already, heartily, registered by its recipient.

“My pleasure,” Kell exhales, looking blithely dazed. 

⁂

The next morning, when the door to the captain’s quarters is found unopened past noon, the crew merely exchange knowing glances and set about their tasks with as little clamor as they could, leaving Captain Bard and Master Kell undisturbed.

**_end_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and feedback are always appreciated 🤗 I'm [@forthegenuine](http://forthegenuine.tumblr.com) on tumblr. Let's be friends!


End file.
